Rinsing device for centrifugal clothes driers



Feb. 18, 1930.

P. E. GELDHOF' RINSING DEVICE FOR CENTRIFUGAL CLOTHES DRIERS Filed July 12, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 18, 1930. P. E. G ELDHOF v 3 RINSING DEVICE FOR CENTRIFUGAL CLOTHES DRIERS Filed July 12, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M'NESS wwm with a series of P tented Feb. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PETER E. GELDHOF, OF SYRACUSE,

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SYRACUSE WASHING MACHINE CORPORATION, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, 'A. COR-YORA'IION OF NEW YORK amsme DEVICE FOR CENTRIFUGAL onornns DRIERS Application filed July 12,

This invention relates to a rinsing device for centrifugal clothes driers for applying clean fresh water or other rinsing fiuid to the clothes after the washing fluid has been expelled therefrom by centrifugal force and without removing the clothes from the perforated container.

The main object is to provide simple and efficient means for producing a more eflective and wider distribution of the rinsing fluid through the clothes in the container than has heretofore been practised simultaneously with the rotation of the container with the previously washed clothes therein during or immediately following the expulsion of the washing fluid fromthe clothes in the'same container. t

One of the specific objects is to provide the rotary container with a central co-axia'l upright tube rotatable therewith and provided peripheral apertures and defiectors arranged at intervals throughout the major portion of the height of the container whereby a rinsing fluid introduced into the upper end of the tube will'be precipitated to the bottom thereof and thence upwardly and outwardly through the apertures in the form of a series of spray jetswith sufficient force to penetrate practically all portions of the clothes within the container and to be simultaneously expelled therefrom through the perforated peripheral walls of the container to the exterior thereof by centrifugal force.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the device will bebrought out in the following description.

In the drawings Figure l is a vertical sectional view of a centrifugal clothes drier and adjacent portion of a clothes washing machine, together with my improved rinsing attachment, all of which are partly broken away.

Figure 2 is a top plan on a reduced scale of a slightly modified form of my invention in which a portion of the tub is broken away.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view, taken in the plane of line 3-3, Figure l, of the upper portion of the apparatus.

in carrying out the objects stated themechanical clothes washer and centrifugal drier 1927. Serial No. 205,110.

are preferably mounted side by side on a suitable supporting base or platform ahaving legs a' for supporting the washing and drying mechanism at the desired height, the washing mechanism being provided with the usual vat A- while the drying mechanism includes a Water-receiving vat -B, both of said vats being mounted upon the platform a in any suitable manner.

It is to be understood, however, that the rinsing device is to be connected centrifugal drier which may or may not be used in connection with a mechanical clothes Washer. V

The platform a and bottom of the vat 'B are provided with registering openings for receiving the lower reduced end of a bushing -l which is screwed or otherwise secured in the opening in the platform a and hasits inner end provided with an annular flange 2 adapted to be drawn against suitable paclcings 3 on the inner face of the bottom of the vat B as the bushing is tightened to form a liquid tight oint. j The bushing 1 serves as a journal hearing for an upright shaft 4: which extends through and beyond the inner and outer ends of said bushing and has its lower end adapted to be connected to any suitable driving mechanism by which the shaft may be rotated.

An internally-threaded gland nut 5 is screwed upon the reduced upper threaded end of the bushing l and cooperates with said bushing to secure a packing ring 6 in place around the adjacent portion of the shaft 'l to form a water-tight gland within the lower portion of the vat B and thereby to prevent leakage of watar from the interior of the vat along the s a The platform e is also provided with an opening at one side of the center for receiving the upper end of a downwardly extending conduit i"- which is registered with an outlet opening 8 in the bottom of the vat B i and together with a screen 9 is secured said bottom across the with any made in the form of a cylindrical container mounted upon the upper end of the shaft '4 co-axial therewith and wholly within the'vat -B- between the bottom and top thereof so that its perforated walls will be surrounded by the peripheral walls of the vat to confine the water expelled from the clothes within the vat and allow it to drain out through the outlet conduit -7-, the screen 9 serving to prevent the discharge of lint and any other solid matter-which may lodge in the bottom of said vat.

The bottom -10 of the container is provided with a socket 12 for receiving the upper end of the shaft '4, said socket and rtion of the shaft projecting thereinto being preferably of angular cross section to serve as a spline for transmitting rotary motion from the shaft- 4-. to the container and also to permit the container to be readily remfoyed by upward displacement from the sha a The upper end of the shaft is provided with oil passages --14- leading downwardl to the interior of the packing -6 for In ricatin the journal bearing 1 for said shaft an is normally closed by a washer cap 13- to prevent the entrance of dust and other foreign matter.

The bottom 10 of the perforated clothes container is also provided with a central upwardly rojecting hub -15 having a co-axial socket -16- extending downwardly from the upper end thereof for receiving the lower end of an upright rinsing .tube --17 having its upper end terminating close to but slightly below the level of the upper end of the container and open at the top for receiving the lower end of an upright spray nozzle -18.

The lower end of the rinsing tube -17- and socket -16 are cylindrical and of approximately the same diameter so that the tube may slide endwise within the socket without excessive friction or undue clearance.

That is, the tube -17 may be removed from the socket -16 by upward displacement for cleaning or otherpurposesif dc.-

sired.

The extreme lower endof the tube 17 abutsagainst and is normally closed by the lower end wall of the socket -16 to cause any rinsin water which may be introduced into the tu eto rise therein to any level desired within the height of the perforated container.

The major portions of the peripheral walls of the tube 17- within the container or between the bottom and top thereof are provided at more or less regular intervals throughthe upper walls of the openings 19 thereby forming a multiplicity of what may be termed upwardly and outwardly diverging passages for the rinsing fluid which may be introduced into the tube 1-7-.

These passages 19- and deflectors -20- are formed by punching and pressing inwardly portions of the metal tube so that the lower ends of the deflectors will project inwardly beyond the peripheral walls of the remaining portions of the tube, whereby as the rinsing liquid introduced into the tube -17- through the spray nozzle ,-18 will rise in said tube and will be forced outwardly and upwardly into a corresponding number of spray jets to permeate the clothes in the container around the tube which, al though slidable, fitted within the socket -16, is nevertheless sufliciently tight to cause the tube to rotate with the container. If desired, the lower end of the socket 16- may be provided with downwardly and outwardly inclined branch passages 4. A shelf or drain board -23-is sup-' ported upon the upper edge of the vat -B and is provided with a drop flange 24- fitting closely within the upper end of said vat and, this shelf may be stationary or movable circumferentially as may be required for different installations.

The clothes container is provided with a lid 25- movable into and out of frictional engagement with the upper id of the ripheral Wall .-,11 so that when closed 1t will rotate with the container but may be opened at will to premit the insertion and removal of clothes into and from the container.

The means for supporting the lid -25- and for permitting its. free rotation of the cage -11 comprises a cover 26- pivoted at ,27- 'to a lug .28 on the'top of the shelf --23-- just at the outside of the flange 24., to swing to and from a position across the top of the vat B and is provided with a hub 29 having a central opening therethrou'gh for receiving a tubular sleeve -30 which extends some distance above and below the upper and lower ends of the head.

' The sleeve 30- also extends through a water from the arm central opening in the lid 25 and has its lower end provided with an annular flange ''3l for supporting the inner annular section of a ball-bearing retainer 32- against the inner end of the centralhub -\29, the outer section of said ballsbearing retainer being seated in an annular recess 33' forming an annular enlargement of the central opening in the lid 25. V

A cap section 34- is secured by screws 35- to the inner face of the central portion of the lid 25- around the inner end of the nozzle 18- and against the inner end of the outer section of the ball-bearing retainer to hold the latter against inward displacement from its recess 33.

The outer end of the sleeve 30- is threaded externally and engaged by a-lock nut 36 and also by an internally threads ed hub 37 of a pipe elbow -38 thereby holding the sleeve and elbow in fixed relation tothe cover 26.While permitting the free rotation of the lid 25' around the inner end of the sleeve through the medium of the ball-bearings 32- when said lid is frictionally engaged with the upper end of the container shell -l1.

A tubular shield 39- has its inner end screwed or otherwise secured in a central opening in the cap 34- and its upper end extended into the sleeve 30- some distance above the journal bearings -32 to form with the cap 34. an oil cup for receiving lubricating oil for the bearings 32 and also to assist in preventing the passage of water from the tube 17 upwardly into the bearings.

An additional cap setcion 40- is secured in an an'nular'recess in the central portion of the top-of the lid 25 around and in close proximity to the periphery of the hub 29-,- to additionally prevent the entrance of water to the journal bearings and also to retain the oil in the cap 3& for lubricatmg purposes.

For a similar purpose the inner end of 26- is provided with an annular flange 41- surrounding the cap section 40 and adjacent central portion of the lid 25 which is slightly conical to drain any the top thereof to the outer" sides of the upper end of the container shell 11 and thence into the vat B.

The spray nozzle 18- extends through and beyond the opposite ends of the inner tubular shield 39 with suflicient clear"- ance to prevent friction between those parts and has its lower end provided with a phi-- rality of relatively small openings through which the rinsing water or other fluid may be pr0 ected'into theupper end of the rinsing tube 17-, it being understood that the lower perforated end of the nozzle 18 is allowed to project a limited distance into the open upper end of said idly secured in a central opening in theelbow l -38-- coaxial with the tube 17- and, therefore, co-axial with the lid 25 and shell .1l and rinsingqtube 17- and permits the lid ,25 to rotate freely relatively to the spray nozzle 18 and elbow --38.

The upper horizontally extending end of the elbow -38 is connected by a flexible pipe -43 to any available source of supply for fresh water or other rinsing fluid and is made flexible to permit the cover 26, lid 25 and nozzle --18 to be rocked vertically about the axis of its pivot 27 when opening and closing the lid.

An annular flange 44 is secured to the lower end of the shaft 4- some distance below the lower end of the bushing 1 for the purpose of deflecting laterally and downw'ardly any Water or oil which may accidentally escape through the bushing along the shaft i.'

' Operation When it is desired to dry the wet clothes after being thoroughly washed, the cover 26 with the lid 25 thereon is rocked upwardly about the axis of the pivot 27 to open said lid and permit the clothes to be drawn from the upper end of the tub 'A into the'perforated container whereby they become packed more or less uniform- 1y around the rinsing tube -17-, this operatlOIl being preferably performed by hand.

When the perforated container is reasonably-filled the cover 26 and lid 25 will be closed and both the container and lid rotated at a suficiently high rate of speed tocause the washing fluid to be expelled from the clothes by centrifugal force into the vat B. from which it may be drained ofl from the outlet .-7 practically as fast as it accumulates.

During this centrifugal expulsion of the water from the clothes or after the clothes have been dried the rinsing water may be turned on to pass through the pipes 43,

-38e and nozzle --18 into the upper end to the drainage outlet 7-.

backflow of water upwardly along the inner walls of the tube -i7- .and to deflect said water through the passages 19- in a more or less upwardand lateral direction so that while the tube -l7.- is revolved each jet describes an upwardly diverging cone of water and thereby causes a greater penetration of the rinsing water through practically the entire mass of clothes resulting in a more expeditious rinsing and drying of the clothes simultaneously with the expulsion of the washing fluid from the clothes than has heretofore been practiced.

The construction shown and described is particularly simple and efficient but it is evident that the shape of the perforated container and vat surrounding the same and also the construction of other details of the rinsing device may be varied without departing from the spirit of this invention.

In Figures 2 and 3, the shelf or drain board -23'- is mounted upon the upper edge of the vat --B-- and is provided with a downwardly rojecting annular flange 24'- around the outside of the vat while the cover as 26- is shown as hinged to the rear side of the shelf and is adapted to be locked and released in and from its closed position by mechanisms similar to that shown in the pending joint application of myself and J. G.

Nelson, Serial No. 28,564, filed May 7, 1927 It will be noted, however, that the essential difference of this constructionover that .shown in Figure 1 is that the rinsing nozzle as 18 is not attached to the cover '26 but, on the contrary, is loosely inserted into the shield 39 when discharging the rinsing fluid into the upper end of the rinsing tube --17 and maybe withdrawn at will by upward displacement, this operation being permitted by 'the'flexible connection 7 -43 with the source of supply 'for the rinsing fluid.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a perforated container, and means for rotating the same, of a rinsing tube rotating with the container co-axial therewith and provided with a multiplicityof relatively small passages directly connecting its interior to the interior of the container, and means for introducinga rinsing liquid directly into the tube, said tube having means for deflecting the rinsing fluid upwardly as it escapes through said passages.

2. The combination with a perforated container, and means for rotating the same, of a rinsing tube rotating with the container co-axial therewith and provided with a multiplicity of relatively small passages directly connecting its interior to the interior of the container, and means for introducing a rinsing liquid directly into the tube, said tube having portions thereof deflected 1ntherefrom to the interior of the container, a perforated rinsing tube having its lower end frlctionally seated in said socket to rotate I its bottom co-axial with its axis of rotation, said socket having branch openings leading with the container and to permit it to be removed by upward displacement, means for rotating the container, and means for introducing a rinsing fluid directly into the upper end of the tube.

5. In a centrifugal clothes drier, a vat, a bushing secured in an opening in the bottom of the vat and extending upwardly some distance from said bottom, a rotary shaft journaled in the bushing, a perforated container for the clothes having its bottom wall splined upon the shaft to rotate therewith and to permit it to be removed by upward displacement, said bottom having an annular flangedepending therefrom around the upper end of the bushing, a perforated tube rotating with the container co-axial with the shaft, and means rotating with the container co-axial therewith and provided with a multiplicity of relatively small passages directly connecting its interior to the interior of the container, and means for introducing a rinsing liquid directly into thetube, said tube having means for deflecting the rinsing fluid upwardly as it escapes through said passages.

7 The combination with a container, and means for rotating the same, of a rinsing tube rotating with the container co-ax'ial therewith and provided with a multiplicity of relatively small passages directly connecting its interior to the interior of the container, and means for introducing a rinsing liquid directly into the tube, said tube having portions thereof deflected inwardly across the inner ends of the passages to deflect the rinsing fluid upwardly as it escapes through the passages.

8. The combination with a container, and means for rotating the same, of a rinsing tube rotating with the container co-axial therewith and provided with a plurality of upwardly and laterally inclined discharge orifices, and means for introducing a rinsing fluid directly into the upper end of said tube. 9. In a centrifugal clothes drierhaving a rotary container and a socket in its bottom co-axial with its axis of rotation, said socket having branch openings leading therefrom to the interior of the container, a perforated rinsing tube having its lower end frictionally seated in said socket to rotate with the container and to permit it to be removed by up- Ward displacement, means forrotating the container, and means for introducing a rinsinlg fluid directly into the upper end of the tu e.

10. In a centrifugal clothes drier, a vat, a bushing secured in an opening in the bottom of the vat and extending upwardly some distance from said bottom, a rotary shaft journaled in the bushing, a container for the clothes having its bottom wall splined upon the shaft to rotate therewith and to permit itto be removed by upward displacement, said bottom having an annular flange depending therefrom around the upper end of the bushing, a perforated tube rotating with the container co-axial with the shaft, and meansjor introducing a rinsing fluid into the upper end of the tube.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 2nd day of July, 1927. PETER, E. GELDHOF. 

